After Jiang Ziya successfully helped Zhou conquer Zhou, he was sealed in Shandong and was known as the State of Qi. The sixteenth generation of the Qi Kingdom was the famous Duke Huan of Qi. This Duke Huan of Qi was much more powerful than his ancestor Jiang Ziya. Not only was he the true leader of the gods, it was estimated that the King of Zhou at that time would act based on his look.

The Duke Huan of Qi was named Jiang Xiaobai. Generally speaking, he was a wise monarch with good luck. He had a loyal man like Bao Shuya who never left his side, and he was assisted by a peerless man like Guan Zhong, so he was able to unite the princes. He commands the world and ranks first among the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

His greatest strength is his open-mindedness and no doubts about others. Guan Zhong once shot him with an arrow and almost killed him, but he listened to Bao Shuya's words, ignored the past grudges, and re-employed Guan Zhong. Guan Zhong always trusted him and obeyed his advice. All major military and state affairs are at the disposal of Guan Zhong.

Guan Zhong takes care of national affairs. Jiang Xiaobai drinks tea, tastes delicious food, and plays with beautiful women in his arms every day. He really likes this kind of life. It is meaningless to play alone. You definitely need someone to accompany you.

Guan Zhong had his own things to do, but Bao Shuya was a gentleman and sneered at this. Duke Huan of Qi also knew that his two important ministers could not play this game with him.

If the king has preferences, he will naturally have someone to accompany him! The huge state of Qi has talents of all kinds. As a result, three wizards, Shu Diao, Yi Ya, and Kai Fang, stood out and made their grand debut. Why did they come to accompany Jiang Xiaobai?

Shu Diao came first. Shu Diao is talented, intelligent, and very good at observing people's emotions, but this skill must be put to use. Without a big backer, no matter how you plan to slay the dragon, there will be no dragons in the world! If Shu Diao is cruel, he will wave his sword from the palace! Then he became Duke Huan's personal attendant. His official position was not high, but he was able to accompany Duke Huan, so he was in a very important position.

He took advantage of serving Duke Huan to pay attention to everything, trying to figure out and observe Duke Huan's living habits and various hobbies. Towards Huan Gong, he favored him on all occasions and affairs, satisfied his desires, and catered to his wishes. Duke Huan of Qi felt that it was more comfortable to use him than to use his own hands and feet, so that he could not do without him at all times in his life.

Yi Ya continues. Yi Ya is proficient in cooking techniques and is probably a master in the catering industry. One time, Wei Ji, a concubine of Duke Huan of Qi, fell ill and did not want to eat. Yi Ya knew about it, and immediately prepared all kinds of delicacies carefully for her, and slowly prepared them. Chang Wei Ji was cured of her illness.

Taking this opportunity, Yi Ya hooked up with Chang Wei Ji. Changwei Ji naturally spoke up for her lover in front of Duke Huan of Qi, so Yi Ya also gained Duke Huan's trust.

Yi Ya, who dared to cuckold Duke Huan of Qi, was certainly a ruthless person. One of the most famous stories about Yi Ya is that he killed his son and gave it to Duke Huan.

Once, Duke Huan joked with Yi Ya, to the effect that I had eaten all kinds of delicacies from mountains and seas, as well as birds and beasts, but I had never eaten human flesh, so I didn’t know how it tasted. This was originally a joke, but after hearing this, Yi Ya killed his three-year-old son when he went back, cooked it carefully, and presented it to Duke Huan of Qi.

After eating, Duke Huan of Qi was full of praise and asked what kind of meat it was. Yi Ya then cried and said, "This is his son's meat. To show his loyalty, I will kill him and offer it to you to eat." Although Duke Huan felt disgusted, he thought that Yi Ya loved himself more than his son and was a very loyal minister. He was even more kind to Yi Ya.

Kaifang's origin is more noble than the previous two. He is a native of Wei and the son of Duke Yigong of Wei. Once he was sent as an envoy to the State of Qi. When he saw that the State of Qi had strong soldiers and horses, and that the country was rich and the people were strong, he asked to stay.

Qi Huangong asked him, you are the eldest son of Wei Yigong, you have the dignity of a prince, and you will be the monarch of Wei in the future. Why should you give up and submit to me? Kai Fang took the opportunity to flatter Duke Huan of Qi. He said, you are the wise king of the world. It is an honor to be able to hold whips and stirrups for you and follow you around. This honor is really better than the honor of being a king myself.

As soon as he put on this big hat, Duke Huan of Qi was filled with joy. He thought that Kai Fang really worshiped him, so he gave him an official position. In order to further please Duke Huan, Kai Fang offered his two younger sisters to Duke Huan of Qi, thus gaining even more favor from Duke Huan of Qi.

It is said that people are divided into groups, but the three of them, Shu Diao, Yi Ya, and Kai Fang, all cherished each other and actually became a group. They help each other and communicate with each other every day, gradually becoming the "three nobles" of Qi. However, with a peerless person like Guan Zhong in charge, these three people couldn't make much trouble.

Qi Huangong once boasted in front of Guan Zhong that these three people loved him. Guan Zhong said: "Don't believe it if it's false. It's human nature to love your parents, your children, and your own body. Shu Diao didn't cherish his own body, Yi Ya killed his own son with his own hands, and Fang Fang didn't love his own body. Parents, how can they love you?"

After hearing this, Duke Huan of Qi felt that it made sense, but he always felt that these three villains could not achieve anything, and they were obsessed with pleasure, so they were really divorced. If you don't open them up, you won't take Guan Zhong's words to heart.

When Guan Zhong was about to die, he specially advised Duke Huan of Qi to kill these three people. When the three heard the news, they knelt in front of Duke Huan of Qi, begging for mercy with tears and runny noses. Duke Huan of Qi's heart softened, so he expelled them from the palace and the matter was over.

It didn’t take long before Duke Huan of Qi couldn’t stand life without the three of them. Someone was sent to retrieve the three men.

Without Guan Zhong, the three of them were like wild horses that had escaped the reins, and they kept messing around. Soon, Duke Huan of Qi became seriously ill, and he was cunning, cunning, and prescribing. He locked Duke Huan in the palace and built a high wall outside to isolate information from inside and outside.

Qi Huangong couldn’t even see a single person, couldn’t get a sip of water or a grain of rice, and he starved to death.

When he was dying, he hid his face and sighed: "How can I see Father Zhong under the Nine Springs?"